The FourBlock Podcast

The Northeast Regional Director for FourBlock and a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, Eric Stetson has a passion for supporting fellow veterans and helping others realize their full potential. This week, Eric joins co-host Mike Abrams on the podcast to share his story of continued service, providing insights on the military transition process and advice for veterans going through it. In a dyna...

FourBlock Founder Mike Abrams first heard Stephen Young speak at a U.S. Marine Corps leadership course for battalion and regimental-level commanders this past April. After listening to him give an incredibly insightful and engaging lecture on micromessaging and how leaders can become better communicators and build more inclusive cultures, Mike reached out to see if Stephen would be open to engagin...

This week, co-host and FourBlock Founder Mike Abrams reflects on one of his first post-military civilian jobs at a small consulting firm in New York City and shares what it taught him about leadership. The company specialized in human resource advisement for multinational companies. Its main service was conducting "human resource audits," which included interviews, focus groups, and surveys conduc...

A recognized leader in the Exchange Traded Products (ETF) industry, Dr. Scott M. Weiner joins co-host Mike Abrams on this week's episode for an informative and motivating conversation about his career in finance, the industry at large and ETFs specifically, plus the founding of Veterans on Wall Street (VOWS). Dr. Weiner shares how he got his start in the finance world, how his career progressed, a...

Following an amazing 30-plus year-career at UPS while proudly serving for nearly 22 years in the United States Air Force and National Guard, Chris Peck shares his wisdom, expertise and advice in an inspiring conversation with host Mike Abrams. In this episode, Chris answers questions about why he joined the Air Force, how he began his career with UPS, and how he managed dual military and civilian...

July 16th marks the 6th anniversary of the deadly shooting at the Navy and Marine Corps Reserve Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee. A homegrown violent extremist killed four U.S. Marines and a U.S. Navy Sailor that morning: Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Sullivan, Staff Sgt. David Wyatt, Sgt. Carson Holmquist, Lance Cpl. Squire Wells, and U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall Smith all lost their lives. We...

This week following July 4th, Mike shares a story of a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. For those of you who listen to episodes of this podcast week after week, you know that we try to host guests and to tell true stories of people who have achieved excellence in their lives and careers, and who have also shown some incredible resilience in the face of great odds. This is one of those stori...

This week, FourBlock Founder Mike Abrams welcomes finance and entertainment executive Mark Konjevod to the podcast for a powerful two-part conversation about Mark's unique career path and his incredible relationship with Medal of Honor recipient Walter (Walt) D. Ehlers.   In Part I, Mark recounted the amazing story of how he came to meet United States Army soldier and World War II Medal of Honor r...

This week, FourBlock Founder Mike Abrams welcomes finance and entertainment executive Mark Konjevod to the podcast for a powerful two-part conversation about Mark's unique career path and his incredible relationship with Medal of Honor recipient Walter (Walt) D. Ehlers.   In Part I, Mark recounts the amazing story of how he came to meet United States Army soldier and World War II Medal of Honor re...

A retired United States Marine Corps Captain now serving as a Regional Director for FourBlock, Queta Rodriguez has devoted her career to being a servant leader in her community. This week on the FourBlock Podcast, Queta reflects on her military experience in an inspiring conversation with hosts Lindsey Pollak and Mike Abrams, recalling why she joined the military; the challenges and opportunities...

"When you have diverse candidates from varying backgrounds, that brings diversity of thought, and that diversity of thought spurs innovation. In order to continue to thrive as an organization, you need to be innovative." A U.S. Air Force Veteran with more than 20 years of military recruiting experience, Launia Terry, M.S., SHRM-SCP, has devoted her career both during and after military service to...

This week, we welcome U.S. Army Veteran and XcelMil, LLC Founder and CEO Melody Gratic to the FourBlock Podcast. In an inspiring and informative conversation with hosts Lindsey Pollak and Mike Abrams, Melody reflects on some of the highlights and lessons learned from her longtime military service, her experience as a Black woman leader in the military, and her transition from the military to the c...

On Thursday, May 13, 2021, hundreds of FourBlock students, alumni, and community members from across the country tuned in live to celebrate the transitioning service members, veterans, and military spouses who graduated from FourBlock's Spring 2021 Career Readiness Program and to commemorate FourBlock's 10th Anniversary in the organization's first-ever national livestreamed event. This week, you c...

This week, FourBlock Founder Mike Abrams reflects on how the challenge of transitioning from active service to a civilian career is not unique to this generation of veterans.   ABOUT US Welcome to the FourBlock Podcast, a show that examines veteran career transition and the military-civilian divide in the workplace. General Charles Krulak coined the term "Three Block War" to describe the nature of...

In honor of Military Appreciation Month this May, we have a very special podcast episode to share this week! In this episode, we welcome our Southeast Regional Director Roger Roley and three of his current FourBlock Career Readiness Program students, who are all retiring U.S. Army Colonels. These three Colonels started out their military careers together when they were Lieutenants with Command Ser...

"It is not a sense of weakness to ask for help." A U.S. Army veteran with more than 21 years of service, Santiago Leon knows first-hand the challenges that veterans may face when transitioning back home after the military, and why you shouldn't make the transition alone. This week on the FourBlock Podcast, he recounts his military experience and shares what it was like to complete multiple deploym...

"[Servant leadership] is something I know the military brings and veterans bring to the table every single day." Having served in the U.S. Army as a First Lieutenant in West Germany during the fall of the Iron Curtain before transitioning to a longtime career at Mercedes Benz and now the Chief Executive Officer of AMB Sports + Entertainment, Stephen Cannon knows and appreciates who veterans are, w...

"Baseball is the sport of the present moment and of mindfulness." This week, FourBlock Founder Mike Abrams shares an opinion piece about baseball and how it is the best teacher of mindfulness, slowing down, and living in the present moment. The article, titled Baseball lets fans dwell in present and feel safe at home , was written by Diane Cameron and published by from the Albany Times-Union upon...

On this week's episode of the FourBlock Podcast, we welcome FourBlock alumnus Brian Arrington, USAF (ret), M.S., CEO and Founder of VETS2INDUSTRY LLC and VETS2INDUSTRY Foundation Inc. and a Business Initiatives Consultant with Wells Fargo. Brian joins host Mike Abrams to discuss his 20-year service in the Air Force, his military retirement and transition, and his subsequent work creating VETS2INDU...

"Even in my moment of deepest despair, I couldn't quit, because that wasn't who I was. That wasn't how I was wired." In an incredibly inspiring two-episode series, Colonel Gregory D. Gadson recounts his experience serving our nation in the United States Army for more than 26 years; the harrowing injury that nearly took his life and cost him both legs above the knees and normal use of his right arm...

"Even in my moment of deepest despair, I couldn't quit, because that wasn't who I was. That wasn't how I was wired." In an incredibly inspiring two-episode series, Colonel Gregory D. Gadson recounts his experience serving our nation in the United States Army for more than 26 years; the harrowing injury that nearly took his life and cost him both legs above the knees and normal use of his right arm...

"I'm no different than anyone else. When we go through transition, we go through these cycles of grief, self-pity, doubt, confusion, and all these emotions that are normal – that's human. The challenge is understanding them, embodying them, and rapidly turning them into action. How do I devise a plan to act and move forward?" Hit by a sniper's bullet at the pinnacle of his military career, U.S. Ma...

"The real recovery, mentally and psychologically, was being around the people that I wanted to be around doing something of value and doing something of purpose." Hit by a sniper's bullet at the pinnacle of his military career, U.S. Marine Corps veteran Derek Herrera turned misfortune into his life's work when he was paralyzed from the chest down. His military career was over, but his life was not...

This week, we're sharing a LinkedIn Live interview that FourBlock Founder Mike Abrams recently did with FourBlock Podcast co-host Lindsey Pollak and Cappfinity's Nicky Garcea, called Future Strong. Each week, Future Strong co-hosts Nicky and Lindsey host Future Strong, a LinkedIn Live show where they discuss everything to do with careers and early talent career transition. Mike recently joined Lin...

Now a Data Curator at Tesla Government Inc, U.S. Army Veteran Andrea Castle helps her clients realize the full potential of their data by directing outreach, knowledge management, and training efforts. In conversation with host Mike Abrams, Andrea recalls why she joined the Army, and recounts what it was like to enlist for a "peacetime Army" in a pre- 9/11 world and end up being deployed to a "war...